The process of teething is a natural occurrence that is encountered by infants in their first two to three years of life. Through the eruption of teeth through the gums, infants often experience pain and discomfort that is typically addressed through the use of chewable objects or certain types of medications. More specifically, topical anesthetics, such as benzocaine, are often applied to areas of the infant's gums that are irritated.
The primary problem with the use of such topical anesthetics is the application of a proper dosage of the medication, over time, to areas that are specifically irritated. For example, caregivers may dispense a proscribed amount of topical anesthetic onto their finger or other object for rubbing onto the infants gums. This method is problematic for a number of reasons. First, the infant usually is too young to communicate which specific gum areas are in discomfort. Therefore, medicine is needlessly wasted by applying it over all the gum areas. Second, if a dosage of anesthetic is applied all at one time, discomfort may resume within a short period of time as the medicine wears off. As most anesthetics can only be applied so often to avoid the risk of overdosing, the caregiver may not be able to quickly reapply the anesthetic.
Thus, what is desired is an infant teething gel applicator arrangement that manages the distribution of topical anesthetics over long periods of time, so as to minimize medicinal intake; directs the infant to chew only on medicated portions of said device; improves cleanliness with minimized contact of the engaging surfaces and the floor; and allows an infant to self administer the analgesic gel to the precise areas of the gums where the pain occurs.